West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar asks Mamata Banerjee to brief on 'explosive' law & order situation

KOLKATA: In a fresh salvo, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday asked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to brief him on an urgent basis about the "explosive" law and order situation in the state. There was no response from the secretariat till Saturday night, which Dhankhar termed as "non-responsive stance" of the state government.

Dhankhar had tweeted in the morning, "....@MamataOfficial has been communicated by ACS my directive that CM Mamata Banerjee briefs me urgently on grim and explosive law and order scenario in WB CS directed to respond by 2 PM."

Unfortunately CS @MamataOfficial has made no response and thus sent a message-‘Hope keeping in view the august office you occupy and the applicable legal regime, you’ll revisit your non responsive approach and communicate to constitutional head as indicated by ACS to Governor.’ https://t.co/Rr3kuqWTzL pic.twitter.com/WM6FxDi2b6

— Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) October 10, 2020

With no response to his query from the CMO or the chief secretary till the evening, Dhankhar tweeted "Unfortunately CS @MamataOfficial has made no response. Non-responsive stance, while holding such pivotal position as head of state bureaucratic apparatus is indicative of collapsing system, that needs to be averted."

"Hope keeping in view the august office you occupy and the applicable legal regime, you'll revisit your non-responsive approach and communicate to constitutional head as indicated by ACS (additional chief secretary) to Governor," the governor signed off.

Dhankhar had tweeted in the morning, "Am confident that keeping in view essence, letter & spirit of Constitution and alarming law and order state of affairs @MamataOfficial @WBPolice @KolkataPolice Honble CM would urgently brief me on current situation, issues of human rights, keeping public interest uppermost," the governor said in that tweet earlier on Saturday.

He had been flagging concern over law and order and other issues in several tweets in the past and seeking response from the CMO. On Friday Dhankhar said in Siliguri that more than one rape or kidnapping takes place in West Bengal every hour in the month of August as per the data provided to him officially.

The governor said that by bringing the information in public knowledge, he had performed his duty as the constitutional head by sensitising people on crime against women.

Dhankhar said that reports containing the data on crime in West Bengal for August were sent to him by the divisional commissioners, which they had simultaneously sent to the chief secretary of the state. "I have put both the Chief secretary and Home secretary on caution, I am yet to get their response," he had said.